The Main Heroine Falls for the Extra

Grand Magic, Tempest.
A high-tier wind magic that traps enemies in a storm and tears them apart.
Of course, there are even higher-tier spells, but those require dozens of excellent magicians gathered together to cast, so let’s skip that.
Being able to cast grand magic alone is enough to be recognized as a competent magician.
Kino’s desperate and passionate efforts, combined with the magical talent she directly inherited from our mother, made it possible.
…Hmm, indeed befitting an original story formidable opponent and my little sister.
“Kieeeeek!!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
“Uaaaah!!”
“Everyone run quickly!!”
“Fuahahahaha! Cry! Wail!!”
Magical beasts screaming as they were torn apart and blown away by the storm.
Soldiers fleeing with pale blue faces from the terrifying magic right behind them.
And one girl striking poses in front, intoxicated with herself.
Yes, what is this pandemonium?
When the grand magic that had turned this area upside down ended, the horde of magical beasts, many of which had been sliced apart, came into view.
Indeed, even magical beasts acting on instinct seemed to have had their fighting spirit somewhat diminished by the aftermath of the terrifying grand magic, as they were no longer rampaging wildly like before.
“Troops, forward. Eliminate the magical beasts!”
Along with that voice, about a hundred soldiers appeared near where Kino was standing and began to eliminate the remaining magical beasts.
“Asta…”
“Brother, you’re safe!!”
My younger brother, Asta, had brought reinforcements.
“I could only bring this many in a hurry… but fortunately, it seems like it will be enough somehow.”
The magical beasts, either frightened by the magic or unable to move properly in the northern cold, were no match for the soldiers.
Though some magical beasts survived the magic, they were not unscathed and were either dealt with by the soldiers as they stood immobilized or froze to death.
“Yes. Kino, that was excellent magic. Good job.”
“Kukuku… my beloved blood relative, praise the Alukhinon of the Blood Wind more!”
“Yes, but that aside…!”
Smack!
“Ouch!!”
“Didn’t I tell you to warn me before casting your magic?!”
“B-but that doesn’t mean you have to hit me like this!!”
“…First, recover your magical energy. When we return to the fortress, I’ll have to lecture you a bit.”
Kino, who had returned to her normal way of speaking after being hit on the head, whimpered and clutched her head.
I turned my gaze to Asta.
Asta was nodding as he watched Kino being scolded by me.
…Did something happen?
“Anyway, you must be very tired, but thanks for coming to help, Asta!”
With that, I lightly punched Asta’s shoulder.
“Urgh!!”
“Huh…?”
Asta clutched his shoulder and crouched down.
“B-brother… I still have muscle pain…”
“…Sorry.”
I had forgotten about that.
After dealing with all the remaining magical beasts with the soldiers, we handled the cleanup.
Kino was resting to recover her magical energy, and Asta, whose muscle pain had not fully subsided, was also resting.
In the end, all the soldiers that Asta and Kino had brought, along with the soldiers who had been fighting with me, completed the cleanup.
Of course, this meant dismantling the magical beasts.
If defeated magical beasts weren’t dismantled and their magic stones removed, there was a risk that other magical beasts might consume those stones and become stronger.
Therefore, it was an iron rule to always extract the magic stones from defeated magical beasts.
Once the work was more or less on track, at the soldiers’ urging, I decided to go and rest with Asta and Kino.
Kino was sleeping in an enchanted sleeping bag magical tool after taking a nap, and Asta was sitting in a comfortable position, resting.
“Have you come to rest too, brother?”
“Yes, the soldiers collectively told me to rest.”
“…I heard that the magical beasts primarily targeted you?”
“Yes. Honestly, it was my first time experiencing something like that.”
From the start, the behavior of these magical beasts was strange, but it was also behavior occasionally seen when something happened to their habitat.
…Well, I’ve never seen it on such a large scale before.
But I had never heard of magical beasts primarily targeting and attacking a specific individual.
Even among magical beasts, goblins, which are considered relatively cunning, act on instincts close to those of normal magical beasts, so it’s almost impossible for ordinary magical beasts to target only a specific target.
The mysteries only kept growing.
“Anyway, I’m glad the request for aid arrived quickly.”
“You mean that Silver Wolf Tribe girl?”
“Yes, she’s actually a classmate from the academy. Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She’s currently being treated by Lady Riel and resting together.”
That’s a relief.
I had been uneasy about assigning the messenger role to a territory resident who was neither a soldier nor a warrior, so I’m really glad she’s safe.
But wait a moment.
If Asta knows that Emilia is from the Silver Wolf Tribe, and Riel is currently with Emilia…
Emilia, did she perhaps reveal to Riel that she’s from the Silver Wolf Tribe?

Emilia was feeling anxious about Riel, who was silently treating her.
Unlike the young lord who was from the north, Riel was not from the north.
Would she perhaps despise her for being a demi-human?
Emilia felt like her insides were burning up.
It was a childhood story.
When she followed her father to Arianrod Fortress to sell hunting trophies, Emilia was so distracted by the unfamiliar sights that she lost her father.
The market was already crowded, and Emilia, having lost her father at such a young age, was lost and wandering.
At that time, a group of rough-looking people discovered Emilia.
[Look at this? Beast cubs are crawling around openly here?]
People surrounding her, pushing her around or pulling her ears as a joke.
Market people tried to stop them, but the men wouldn’t listen, and they even started using violence, hitting or kicking her.
[Hey! Discrimination against other races is strictly prohibited!]
Guards who had rushed in at the report of the villagers took them away, but Emilia was so frightened that she just kept trembling until she was in her father’s arms, who had come running breathlessly.
Later, she heard that they were mercenaries who had come up from another region.
That day, her father explained that such incidents were common with people from other regions.
Therefore, Emilia was now very anxious about whether Riel, her first friend, would treat her the same way.
“It seems like I’ve treated all the visible wounds… Is there anywhere else that’s uncomfortable?”
“……”
“Emi?”
“Huh…?! Y-yes…! I-I’m… okay…?”
“Huh? Why are you asking me that?”
Riel briefly looked at Emilia with questioning eyes due to her strange behavior.
Meanwhile, Emilia was keeping her head down out of awkwardness.
Several minutes later.
In the end, Emilia spoke first.
“Um… Miss Riel…?”
“Huh? We agreed to just call me Riel, didn’t we?”
“U-um… yes… Um… Riel… what do you think about… me being a demi-human?”
Oh dear, was that too direct?
Emilia briefly thought.
“Well… I was very surprised.”
I knew it…
Thinking this, Emilia felt like her heart was being torn apart.
But Riel’s words weren’t finished.
“Um… can I touch your ears?”
“……What?”
“Ah! If it’s embarrassing or something like that, you can refuse…”
“No, I don’t mind…”
Emilia’s eyes said, “What are you talking about?”
But for Riel, it seemed that getting permission was what mattered.
“Wow! Then right away…”
“Wah!”
Riel immediately reached out and touched Emilia’s wolf ears.
“Wow… they’re fluffy… and warm…”
“W-wait…? Riel…?”
“They move… slightly… woww…”
Emilia, too shocked by the sudden situation to move, and Riel, absorbed in her own actions.
After several minutes, Riel, having regained her composure, was the first to move away from Emilia.
Emilia took a breath with a slightly reddened face and spoke again.
“Um… that’s not what I meant. I was wondering if you started disliking me because I’m a demi-human…”
“Huh? Why would I dislike Emi?”
“Well… because… I’m a demi-human…?”
With still an anxious expression, but a face where some of the anxiety had subsided, Emilia looked at her.
Seeing such an Emilia, Riel had a blank expression.
“What does being a demi-human have to do with it?”
“Well… demi-humans face quite a bit of discrimination across the continent…”
“…Has that happened to you?”
Riel only knew about demi-humans through knowledge, not about such situations.
Naturally, the common perception and Riel’s thoughts had nothing to do with each other.
“I was surprised to learn that Emi is a demi-human, but I didn’t start disliking you at all?”
“…Really?”
“Yes. I actually thought it was cute.”
“Th-then… Riel is still my friend…?”
Emilia’s question still contained some anxiety.
Perhaps sensing Emilia’s anxiety contained in it, Riel tightly embraced her.
“Of course, Emi and I are friends.”
“Ah…”
With that warm embrace, the anxiety in Emilia’s heart seemed to melt away.
“Um… I’m really sorry.”
A moment later, after Emilia had calmed down and pulled away from Riel’s embrace, she bowed her head and apologized.
“Huh? Why suddenly?”
“Well… Riel also wanted to go rescue the young lord, right? But because of me…”
“Ah, because of that?”
In reality, Riel had also wanted to join the reinforcements when she heard that Kyo was in danger.
But Asta had stopped Riel and asked her to take care of Emilia.
‘If something happens to the Lady, I’ll be killed by my brother!!’
For some reason, Asta was desperately trying to stop her, and Riel couldn’t ignore the injured Emilia.
And there was another reason as well.
“It’s okay, I just want to wait now.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Yes, Kyo promised he’d return safely.”
Riel looked at Emilia and smiled brightly.
“So it’s okay. Kyo always keeps his promises.”